We've had the ballots. Unison's vote was to reject  - we put this to the Scottish Water Council (the partnership body that can change these terms and conditions).

As Unison objected there was no consensus - Management are now implementing the package on the basis of a mere overall vote of 7 in favour.- by doing so they are in breach of our agreement!

All the comments you've made are still valid and unanswered

Unison has been working all along to get fair conditions -  at no detriment -  your comments were taken back to management - but nothing changed - Unison are continuing the campaign to sort this out

So remember  to vote in Unison's second ballot when you get your ballot papers!

 also continue to let us know your what you think and view them on htis web page

(All names have been removed to protect the innocent!)

1 Subject: Comp & Ben Framework

For staff currently on 28 days annual leave, there is no mention of any
protection/compensation arrangement for the 3 days leave that they would appear to be losing. What is the situation?

Long Service Award - - -a bit of a smoke screen, but OK as long as there is some element of mutual agreement on the gift vouchers (e.g. who would want £300 worth of sailing vouchers for the SS Sir Walter Scott!)

Role Profiles. It should be noted that many Role Profiles have still to be agreed
Only 40 role profiles are being benchmarked. If there is a danger of
detriment, why not benchmark all of the 405 roles?

If OPEX savings are far higher than expected, it seems unfair that the
bonus is capped at £850. Why not allow breach of the maximum bonus in these circumstances?
Definition is needed of the mechanisms for bonus payments within SW Solutions and SW Contracting.

Review of salary ranges in future. What is mechanism for this? Will
there be some independant body involved here to ensure fairness? Is
there anything in place to prevent a future reduction in some or all of
the salary scales?

Acting up/ increased responsibility allowance - - - why not have a
single % value of say 7.5%? Who decides whether it is 5% or 10%?
Pay progression from 1/10/04. The proposed values of 1.25% for salary
bands A, B and C are very poor in comparison with the existing WoSW pay increments. This will detriment a significant number of staff.

Pay progression from 1/10/05. Do not fully understand what is being
stated. Are we simply being told that better performance is expected
from those that are further up a salary scale?
The matrix will be determined using a % of midpoint based on agreed
funding levels. What does this mean?
Cost of living increases. What is happening here? This important issue
has not been mentioned anywhere in the communication.
 

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2  Subject: Comp & Ben Framework

Please find below my comments:-

FLEXIBLE WORKING
Employer variance of normal working hours - does change to the
established work pattern include extending the hours worked beyond 37?
Employee variance of normal working hours - what is reasonable notice
for a domestic emergency?
Overtime hours - How do SW know how many hours have been accrued? If there is no formal record of hours worked, employees will have to prove their case to manager who may not be able to collaborate this. I am a sole shared resource between two tier 3 managers in Solutions, both of whom are frequently out of the office. How do I prove I am entitled to time off in lieu or overtime?

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Annual Leave - When does the Annual Leave year run?
Buying and Selling Holidays - there has been no detail on how this can
be achieved.

JOB EVALUATION
This can't really be commented on until we see the results!

BONUS AND INCENTIVES
Maximum bonus - The WoSW maximum bonus increased annually along with the rate of living increase. There a danger down the line that the
bonus will not be an incentive to achieve targets.

SALARY LEVELS
Cost of Living Increase - this is mentioned on the intranet, but it would be nice to see those details confirmed here!
Those above the range - it is difficult to comment on this without
knowing if I am affected. When would the payment be made? If I were
affected I would view this as an opportunity to leave Scottish Water
with a payoff only marginally smaller than I would have received through VERS - which as a member of engineering staff I am unlikely to qualify for!

Acting Up - the 5 or 10% salary increase is a bit vague - is it 5 or is it 10?
The 1.25% pay progression is paltry in comparison to the current WoSW increments. It will take me four years to progress as far as I would in one year at WoSW! This amounts to a pay cut!

Different payments in the lower bands - How will this be achieved,
geographically? Will people in the former West receive 1.25% increases
while those in the former East and North receive 2.6% increases?? I
trust the lower paid employees will receive the greater increases!

One final point. Due to the time slippages until now, are we going to be
given enough time to consider our individual statements, or will this be
compressed to achieve the January 1st deadline?

Regards,

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3  Subject: Compensation and Benefits

I understand that the band ranges shown may not be the final ranges and that there are internal sub ranges. ie. that while bandB shows £25-£36

The role of Senior Engineer may not go to £36 at the top but be
restricted. Can this be confirmed. If so the "true bands" need to be
agreed. There was an agreement that there would be a rise of 2%?? when ( if ) the new conditions were accepted. Is this still the case? If so would the bands be raised by 2%, or placement on the range increase by 2%?

There's no mention of cost of living increase. Is this still to be agreed in addition to the progression figures.
Will cost of living be added to the bands on an annual basis as present.
Existing WoSW terms protects pension calculation salary for 10 years.
will this still apply?

Thats all just now. Maybe more once I've considered it more.

Regards

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4  Subject: New Conditions

Just been told new conditions. If no buy out of standby plus holidays lost for naught as informed. Please confirm if its enough to tell payroll that I no longer wish to pay union dues. At least that way I'll get £15 a month back.
 

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5  Subject: Compensation & Benefits (C&B) Proposals


I refer to the below attachments and to our discussion on the subject on 22/8/03. During our latter discussion, you confirmed to me that the
principle of 'no overall detriment' would apply to each individual and that no-one would 'lose out' on an overall basis under the new Comps & Bens package.

I have just received a communication from David Pennington outlining the current thinking on the Comps & Bens package. Having scrutinised these details, I must express my extreme disappointment with the proposals.

Despite there being an assurance of 'no overall detriment' to each
individual, it would indeed appear that there will be many people who are going to receive a nett loss under these proposals!

I am aware that these Comp & Ben proposals are only an initial draft and that many aspects have still to be confirmed/ reconsidered. I can only hope that the final version that is put to all employees can truly live up to the principle of 'no overall detriment'.

Regards
 

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6  Subject: Compensation & Benefits (C&B) Proposals

From conversations with colleagues, we are under the impression that the 'no overall detriment' phrase will apply to the circumstances of each individual - - - - i.e. for each person there may be some losses and some gains; but there will be no overall negative effect to the terms and conditions of each individual.

Is this a correct assumption?

Regards,

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7  Subject: Compensation & Benefits (C&B) Proposals

A phrase that is utilised frequently during the C&B discussions is that of 'no overall detriment'.

Can you clarify whether this applies to the circumstances that are pertinent to each individual, or the employee group as an entity?

Regards,

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8 Subject: Comments on Compensation & Benefits Framework

my comments are as follows:

Terms and Conditions

Leave
I currently have 28days annual with 12days public holidays and the
proposal to lose 3days without receiving compensation as wholly
unacceptable.

Pay Frequency
The proposal to move to monthly pay will initially cause some
inconvenience, but I can live with it. However the proposal is to
move to monthly from 28 April 04, which is a Wednesday (why?) and
when will all subsequent pays be? Will it be the last Wednesday of
each Calendar month or is it the 28 of every month?

Bonus & Incentives
Will the maximum bonus of £850 increase in line with inflation?
"Actual payments will be determined by OPEX savings achieved" implies
that the in some years the bonus will be set at say £500 and that
individuals will only be awarded a percentage of that years maximum,
depending on the achieved targets across Corporate/Functional/Team - if this is the case then it is unacceptable. The maximum bonus level
should always be £850 (plus annual increases).

Salary Levels
Salary Structure
Are there any "caps" within the six salary bands (A, B, C, D, E & F).
If there is, then this would be totally unacceptable.
What limitations are to be placed on individuals entitled to the
"one-off payment of 4 times difference between existing salary and
the max of the new range". Are they required to pay any of it back if
they leave Scottish Water in the short term, say? What happens when
they are promoted to a position which falls into a higher salary
band?
Will the top and bottom of the ranges increase in line with the
agreed pay award? Or does the employer have a get out clause "ranges will be reviewed at the time of the annual pay discussions and will incorporate a review of market data"?
"Recruitment into ranges ..." What is the detail behind the "agreed guidance matrix"? Does this refer to internal promotions where employees move up a range?
"Acting up / increased allowance ....." When would it be 5% and when
would it be 10%? Could this philosophy be used for SW internal
promotions where an individual is promoted to a post within a higher
salary band? Ie a minimum of 5% or 10% increase in present salary?
The issue about promotion into a higher salary band is pertinent
where an individual's current salary is in the zone which is common
to two salary ranges, ie Ranges B & C, the salary zone which is
common is £25k to £32.5k. Would an individual being promoted from a
Range C post to a Range B post whose current salary is £28k, still be
paid £28k in his new post?

Pay Progression
Proposal to commence pay progression from 1/10/04 is unacceptable as
over a relatively short period we have lost three months when pay
progression was originally considered (relatively recently pay progression was undertake on 1st April of each year, so overall we've lost 6 months somewhere!!!!)
"Rating of 1, 2 or 3 will mean a payment .." & "Payment will be 1.25%
in bands , B and C....". Does this mean that irrespective of which
rating that an individual receives in STAR, as long as it is A, B, or
C then they will receive a pay progression of 1.25%? If not then is
it 1.25% for an A grading, and what will it be for a B or a C grading?
"Pay progression from 1/10/05......." What is the agreed pay performance matrix? Need more details (possibly examples) as to how
it works.
"Where the pay award would increase.......". Should this mean "pay
progression" rather than "pay award". If it does mean "pay award", ie
annual cost of living increase, then this point would be totally unacceptable.

Guidelines on Flexible Working Within Core Hours
For my post and virtually everyone within the same section, every point within the guidelines can be accommodated under the existing FLEXITIME SCHEME to achieve the flexibility the employer is demanding. However what it does not give is the flexibility to the individual, subject to the needs of the business, for whole days off in lieu of time worked (and I refer to time worked rather than time accrued).
As such I'm totally against the need for non frontline staff to move
away from the existing Flexitime scheme.

Regards

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9  Subject: Unison Meeting Western Isles - Comp & Ben Package

We held a union meeting in the Stornoway Office today to discuss the
proposed Comp & Ben package. 20 members were in attendance.

Please note the following points that were raised or need clarification.
Some were raised at the Branch Exec meeting on Tuesday.

1. Will bands increase along with cost of living pay increases?

2. Bands A, B & C. There is no mechanism for catch up. Therefore pay parity will not happen if you earn more than £22k until everyone is at or as near the top of the pay range (which could take 40 years for someone at the bottom of the range).

3. Bands D, E & F. Catch up will take far too long. For someone on £16k and with a pay difference of £2k between areas, we are talking 10 years plus. Parity should be attained in all cases within 2 - 4 years.

4. What will be the increment for a star rating of 2 or 3 if 1 gives 1.25% (or 2.6%) max.?

5. Need more details on pay performance matrix.

6. Pay increment above range maximum. If someone is at the range max, will he get a non- consolidated payment every year?

7. Flexibility - more info required. Can office staff still accrue time &
take days off? What are the rules?

8. Islands Allowance. What happens with a new post if that post is filled with someone getting the allowance? Will the allowance still be paid?

9. Long service award. Should be 10 year payment also.

10. Out of hours supplement. Needs clarification on who this applies to. Is is just team leaders or all Ops currently on standby? Does supplement include standby & call out (disturbance ) payments or is it just covering overtime?

11. Call out payments. What about pre midnight and Sat / Sun?

12. Not happy with losing first two hours of overtime in each day.

Main concerns are that employees are not happy with time taken to provide pay parity across SW, and concern over losing overtime on work done beyond normal working hours.

Employees require clarification on above points and need to see where they are placed in salary bands prior to deciding on whether to accept or reject offer.

Regards,
 

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10  Subject: Comp & Ben Framework

Thank you for the memo and info sheet regarding the above. My query is on the Out of Hours section. It states that the supplement will be paid to Team Leaders, Network Operations etc. calculated on a review of overtime budgets, standby frequency and out of hours activity levels.
The point is that although I work on average 45 hours per week there will be no overtime record of this because in the old NOSWA area anyone paid at level 6 didn't qualify for overtime payments therefore I never claimed any.
There must be a lot of team leaders in the North in the same boat, I don't know how it worked in the old East or West.
I trust this will be taken into account when any supplement payments are set.

PS. I'm a TL in one of the islands

11  Subject: C&B Framework

1. I am not happy about being told when to take my holidays (Easter Monday & May Day). I think this is a step backwards as members no longer have a choice.

2. What is the percentage breakdown for pay progression concerning the different ratings, we know 4 = 0, but what about 1,2,&3.

3. When will the pay performance matrix be available for comment? & will it be made public.

4. How is additional hours worked, which cannot be taken within the two month period be recorded & sanctioned to be paid?

I know in the scheme of things these are minor, but these are the areas, which effect me.
 

12  Subject: Compensation & Benefits

Having read the proposals I have to ask where are the benefits
 and what compensation. Where did the guaranteed 2% pay rise from Dec 03 to Apr 04 disappear to. Cost of living annual pay cuts are from Apr not Oct, they have already stolen money off people moving Incremental pay rises to july. Management got big pay rises that the employees now have to pay for. What compensation is there for changing pay periods, not having guaranteed pay rises, loss of public holidays, changes in core time. Pay increases should be the same percentage across the board with maybe a minimum amount for the lower paid ie 3% or £500. Average employee pay rise index for Aug was 3.8%, under lying inflation is running at 3.4% but yet again we are asked to take a pay cut in real terms.

It is about time management wake up and get real.

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13  Subject: Comp & Ben Feedback

No doubt you'll be getting a lot of these.

Flexible Working
Core hours from 7 to 7 encourages and implies long working hours = stress. The only reason SW want the core hours 12 hours apart is to reduce the money spent on overtime / callout. Why not reduce core time, 8 to 6 or 9 to 5 and take a family friendly approach?
There is no guarantee that if you work longer hours you will be allowed
time off as per flexi-time. Where I work in Solutions, new Managers seconded in from Consultants / Contractors are already expecting SW staff to work longer hours because this is what they are used to in private industry (which is fine because they are paid handsomely for it !!). These core hours increase this expectation.
If I work 9.25 hours Monday to Thursday, will I be able to take each Friday off if it does not impact on my work ?

Is overtime restricted to certain salary bands ?
Will overtime be at Managers discretion, or if you work over the hours you'll get paid for it ?

These proposals are an erosion of my current conditions and only benefits the authority.

Job Evaluation
Will the job evaluation process be transparent i.e. will it show how the points scoring / weighting, relates to salary bands ? Is there a mechanism for appealing against an outcome ?

Bonus & Incentives
Opex savings will decrease very quickly in the next couple of years (after all the first squeeze of the orange produces the most juice !!). If bonuses are dependant upon savings, these will soon dry up.
Can salary increases be made instead of bonuses, so there is a benefit to pensions.
I note there is no minimum bonus level under this proposal.
Could the bonus be give at Christmas time - a little more money at this time of year would be appreciated by all staff, even if it meant it was last years bonus.

Salary Structure
What is a development plan ?
What determines whether someone is put on 5% or 10% for acting up allowance and on whose salary is this calculated ?

Pay Progression
What is the 'budget of 1.5%'. Is it 1.5% of your own salary ?
Where is the incentive to score 1 if you are going to get the same reward for achieving a score of 3 ? This award may as well be a simple yes/no.
Will this scoring be transparent so that personality clashes with Managers cannot influence progression ?
The pay performance matrix sounds like a management tool to keep
progression / rewards to a minimum - can we see an example of this before Comp & Ben is agreed ?

Terms and Conditions
Will there be compensation for staff who lose holiday entitlement ?
Interest free loans - I appreciate this is targeted at non salaried staff,
however, if this would be a 'benefit' if SW opened up this opportunity to all staff.
£300 for 25 years service is an absolute disgrace, this should be at least £1k - what can £300 buy you today, certainly not 25 years of loyalty ? £75 retirement gift is an insult - I think most retirees would be embarrassed to receive this.

Other
Will professional fees continue to be paid ?
Could SW's buying power be used to benefit staff - computers, health care etc. ?
Could SW staff benefit from reduced Water and Sewerage charges ?

Regards

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14  Subject: Compensation & Benefits

Questions regarding the proposals for the compensation & benefits:

Salary Levels
- Who decides which salary range each employee is in?
- How do you move into a higher salary range? Is there a performance matrix being set up for this?

Bonus & Incentives
- Will it be possible to opt out of the bonus scheme and received a lesser sum of consolidated pay instead?

Here are a few questions rather than comments that spring to mind reading the Compensation & Benefits Framework information. I hope these issues will be discussed.

Thank you,

15  Subject: Terms and Conditions

I am in receipt of Unison's Memo of 22 October 2003 and I would
comment as follows;-

1) The proposed Bonus and Incentives is totally unacceptable. The whole idea of introducing the Bonus system was that it was to be a team bonus which an individual could largely achieve and effect by the 'sweat of his brow'. These latest proposals are so remote from this concept that they represent little incentive whatsoever. As can be seen from the last fiasco, when we were cheated out of our bonus, the latest proposals are no more than crumbs off the table. Furthermore there is still no mention (and no reason given why not) of the bonus being included in the pension calculation.

2) The salary ranges are meaningless until we know where we fit into them. However, the idea that they should reviewed annually and in some way be linked to annual pay discussions is open to gross manipulation as can be seen from the last annual award fiasco.The annual pay award should be index linked to inflation and should be seperate from any other negotiations.

3) In my view one of the few good things to come out of the last negotiations on Terms and Conditions was the Annual Assessments which were supposed to include personal development. This has largely gone by the board and management only pay lip service to this aspect.

Regards,

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16  Subject: comp and ben

i am dissapointed that the entire consultation process seems to have been a total waste of time.

The original proposals appear to have escaped modification in any way. I had 3 days additional holidays that were bought out three years ago. there is seven years remaining and i shall be requesting Unison seek legal advice to determine if the removal of this entitlement is a breach of contract.

it is clear to me that there is no benefit to the employees in the former
west in any way.

i was assured the comp and ben team proposed a package that would be accepted at the first ballot.

i find it difficult to accept that anything other than a tiny minority of
SW staff could accept the current proposals

regards

17  Subject: comp and ben

The new T&C fall far short of what would be acceptable.

please reject the offer and negotiate for improvements.

my main concern is the removal of the 3 days extra holiday and the general lack of clarity in all the other proposals.

regards

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18  Subject: comp and ben

I would not accept the package in it's current form.

(Notwithstanding not knowing what payscale I am on) I have other concerns.

Bonus - no comment as long as goalposts not moved in bonus year and monthly
reports are available on progress/ status.

Salary: How long would my present salary relate to my pension, I understand
present set up is protected for 10 years plus best of 3 years, effectively
13 years, ie S20 Certificate, how will this be affected?

Is one off payment taxable & Superanable?

Pay progression appears miserly - 1.25% - At £22K pa the increment would be
approx £270, less tax etc say £190, at £23K it would take about 30 years to
reach the top of scale!
Is inflation rise seperate to this?

What is ETU (after skill Seekers at right hand bottom of page)?

Annual Leave / Public Holiday change/ 7-7 core hours. - unfair on people
required to work these unsocial days/ hours for extra payment.
Flexible working/ time recording - I am all for flexible working, but the
only fair way to monitor it is by time recording, otherwise open to abuse
by both parties.
Monthly salary vs 4 weekly - I prefer present arrangement.

Regards,

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19 Subject: comp and ben

 As we discussed the other day I am particularly unhappy at the way our holiday entitlement is being eroded and promises of keeping our 28 day annual leave for 10 years (of which I believe we still have 7 years to run) is now being reneged on.

Have UNISON discussed this with their Lawyers to see if this is legal?

Regards

20 Subject: comp and ben

Your letter asked for comments before your meeting on 29th so here goes

Under terms and conditions it states a total of 37 days leave (31 annual + 6 public) This would be a personal reduction of 2 days (27 annual +12 public) due to length of service built up in Strathcyde, I think that there is still 6 or 7 years of the scheme to run.
Unless I was offered some form of compensation this is totally unacceptable.

Under the flexible working guidelines I have no comments as such. However the system for recompense seems extremely and unnecessarily complicated especially since the time recording systems are to be abolished from January. Frankly I don't trust our management to run the system manually. I can forsee certain managers making statements along the line of " you wern't in at 07.45 on Monday ......prove when you were in Thursday" etc. The time recording systems would stop this.

I am totally against moving to a monthly pay system. My banking arrangements are set up for 4 weekly pay and will involve a lot of hassle to change. However if the £150 was made a gift, then I would accept this as recompense for the hassle.

Would service already built up in Strathclyde Regional Council Sewerage/West of Scotland Water etc be applicable for the Long Service Award, or is the "slate wiped clean" under these proposals


regards

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21  Subject: Comp & Ben framework comments

I would like to make the following comments :-

1/ Terms & Conditions
37 days holiday with 6 days not floating just means more paperwork to take holidays - This is an unnecessary change. If this did not suit management then they would have changed the East & North to suit the West conditions.
Flexible working - puts all the onus on recording what your contribution to the team has been on to the individual and although the text sounds ideal, can only lead to management bullying staff into longer than necessary working practices. This is an unnecessary change. If this did not suit management again then they would have changed the East & North to suit the West conditions. Why not restrict days allowed off to six or twelve max and kep flexi-time as proof of worked hours.
Monthly Pay - does not affect the individual on 4 weekly pay if implemented after pay period has already got to the end of a month. But there is ample evidence to prove that this would be implemented to suit other criteria.

2/ Out of Hours
This will not affect the majority of Asset Management Staff or those
seconded to Scottish Water Solutions

3/ Job Evaluation
This is a crucial part of the whole Comp & Ben package and should not be linked because the results are going to upset a lot of staff before they get to feel the effects of the Revised Comp & Ben. Crucial for employees to know where their jobs sits prior to the effects of Salary Levels to be fully appreciated.

4/ Bonus & Incentives
The bonus has become a farce - £860 with the majority of the factors now that determine the percentage under management discretion makes a mockery of the system. Especially now that management are on a bonus scheme that puts this in the shade.

5/ Salary Levels
These look fine but very line in the text requires questioned and clarified. There would appear to be no pay protection apart from a one of payment. It is unclear what this change to salary level does with pension levels / protection.

The pay progression section is where my real concerns start.
The first paragraph states that pay progression will be within a budget.
If this is the case then greatly incentivised management will be doing
their utmost to reduce the overall payment.

In the fourth paragraph " different payments" will be made to lower paid staff to address anomolies. This is all very well but taken to the obvious conclusion this could lead to everybody earning a similar salary with highly demanding jobs requiring qualifications paid as well as those that do not. This would have a similar effect to lump sum payments for the cost of living increases year after year.

The fifth paragraph is again too influenced by incentivised management.
This requires greater clarity.

The sixth paragraph is unclear.

The seventh paragraph gives details of the maximum bonus and I have assumed a salay grade in the absence of hard facts at this stage in order to estimate what an increment would be. An increment if I accepted these conditions would only be a percentage of the previous condition.

The next two paragraphs of this section seem to contradict each other. One appears to say that if your pay award is taking you above the top of the band then the rest is made up with an unconsolidated payment and the other says that if you are at or above there is no progression. What about unconsolidated payments for these people also?

Overall the package is flawed and too slanted to management desires at present to accept.

I trust my comments are helpful as they reflect my opinion and those of several colleagues in P& P at the Thompson Pavillion that may or may not be Unison members.

Regards

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22  Subject: Recent Comp & Benefits Information

Just putting down my comments on the information that we have received and to record that I would not be willing to accept these new conditions in the current form.

Core time is listed as 7am to 7pm. Here at TP most people are not
working to any set pattern. It is stated that agreed hours may be varied and agreed with the relavent BUC. We don't work to any pattern other than being here at the defined coretime hours of 9:30 - 12:00 and 14:00 - 16:00. It is not clear what will replace this other than what we agree within our teams. This leaves it open that people working for different managers will end being dealt with differently. I would not like to be in a position where I can be forced by my managers to be at work either before the 9:30 or after 16:00 at their instruction if this is unsuitable to my particular circumstances that day.

It would appear that the sytem will allow additional time worked on one
day to be resolved with early finishes/late starts asap afterwards. Will
full day or even half-day absences be allowed using this new system and will this be down to the individual managers again leading to different managers treating people inconsistently.

The references to overtime working relate to "Operational areas". With
an absence of specifics for other areas will these then be aplied to those not in Operations. There may not be a great requirement for OT
working here but when it is required I would rather be paid for it than
asked to take some time off in lieu. If the rules of Operational areas
are applied to us then would the excess hours we worked in a month be paid as they do. ie up to 10hrs of plain time and above 10 at time and a half or will it be a case of work as many hours as you like but you are not getting any payment for these. There are currently people on the flexi here that work well in excess of 37 hours and regularly lose time at the end of the flexi period. Will this then allow payment of
recompense for these hours?

Buying or selling holidays - we in the west don't know what the "current arrangements" are.

Monthly pay - I am currently happy and organised for 4-weekly pay and would object to being shifted. Also, will it be on the 28th of each
month or other? (such as the last Thursday of a month or other?)

Bonus for us not directly influential over achieving Opex savings are still having our bonus linked to this factor. It says that the bonus will be adapted for SW Solutions - we are not told what this will entail or how this will affect those who work there.

The salary structures do not mean a lot until we are certain what level
we will be placed on - at the moment we can only assume one which is
close to our current level.

It says that the ranges will "incorporate a review of market data". I'm
sure a lot of people would like a definitive statement that the ranges
will follow any cost of living increase automatically and not be subject
to review. The way it reads it looks like they can decide not to apply
the COL increase to the range maximums and those at that level would get nothing.

There are references in here to areas where we do not have any details:
"recruitment into ranges based on agreed guidance matrix"? "pay progression calculated against objectives and values"? "matrix/%midpoint/agreed funding levels"?

At best it says that we will get 1.25% progression rate in ranges A, B
or C. How are they going to recognise good or above standard
performance? If the max is capped at 1.25% there is little incentive to
perform beyond the minimum required. There is certainly no incentive
when max of range has been achieved.

Pay progression through a range is going to be an age, this is not
rewarding of the effort and does not reflect the gain of knowledge and
experience nor the responsibilities you will get within a much shorter
period. This is entirely to the benefit of the organisation who can use
these gains with low reward for effort on the employees part. A quick
calculation based on the top limit rising with COL increases (assuming
it does) and somene starting on the bottom of a scale rising at 1.25%
plus the COL increase, will show that it will take over 30 years to
achieve the top level of the grade they are on. Progression through the range of either D, E or F may be quicker given that they can get up to 2.6%. If this is the case then is it going to be considered where we are on our current range (ie 1, 2, 3 etc steps from the top of a range). (See attached file: Progression Calc.xls)


Regards

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23 Subject: Compensation and benefits comments from union member

I am a Customer Adviser or NSO as they call us now, based in the west of Scotland

I would like to give you some comments about the Compensation & Benefits package notes that were sent out to unison members on 22/10/03.

The first point is on the Flexible Working note. About overtime being
given back as time in lieu,what would happen for planned overtime i.e. nightshifts or weekend work, how would this be paid?
Who in their right mind would work these shifts for time back during the week!

Can you also tell me why only selected employees are having their
contractual overtime bought out before the Compensation & Benefits package is agreed. What happened to consultation about this, why is the union not doing anything about this, or is a union member loosing nearly 8% of their wages acceptable to unison?

On out of hours working what kind of supplement in monetary terms would be given to those working standby? How many hours worked will this supplement cover before additional payments are made, or do we just work as many hours as they like. I think this will be open to abuse by management, and they could have us covering planned work and general complaints which are not emergencies.

How can this supplement be fair when some areas are busier than others on standby, why should we be penalised by this system. Does unison not think we do enough standby, what about family life how will that be affected if we are forced to cover gaps in rota's when other personnel are not available, and what happens when others leave the job and there positions are not filled in. If someone is off sick or leaves it is up to the management to fill in the gap created on the rota, and not forced onto those that are left by saying they have already been compensated for it in the supplement. How can this supplement cover for such likelihood.

Can I also ask what has happened to call-out payment for employees when they are on standby are they just going to be scrapped?

On pay progression I don't agree with pay awards being given as a non-consolidated payment to anyone at the top of their pay scale. Does this mean our wages would never increase again?

My last point is the bonus and incentives scheme, this should apply to
everyone in Scottish Water, managers included. No more big bonuses for them, we are a public service after all not a private company.

If that is not the case it should be scrapped, this bonus is an incentive for no one in Scottish Water.

In there current state I would not vote for these terms and conditons.

Yours

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24  Subject: COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS FRAMEWORK

I have a few comments regarding the above which I received on Thursday. I am at present struggling to find any benefits or compensation for the erosion of current conditions and feel that there are a number of points which need to be raised, namely

I am currently on 28 days annual leave as I am sure you are yourself, no mention of this, the extra 3 days seem to have disappeared, I believe they were mentioned on a draught which was prepared in September and a possible buy out was stated. I would like to know what is happening with this as I find it unacceptable to give these up as our current conditions protect the 3 days until 2011.

At what point will our weekly hours be decided and how much say (if any) will we have in these? Will they be stated to us before or after the formal agreement? I am concerned about the extension of the working week as currently flexi runs from 8 till 6 and we are free to choose our own hours. I feel that the removal of flexi is yet another erosion of the current conditions and do not feel that will will have much say about our own hours under the flexible working within core hours scheme.

Salary ranges - will we still be entitled to cost of living rises on an
annual basis? I see no mention of this and as I will probably be near the top of the salary range (I'm guessing at "F") I find this another concern as if you get to the top of the salary range you could well be on that salary forever!

I hop that my concerns will be noted and look forward to feedback from the meetings on 29th and 30th October.

Thanks

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25  Subject: Comp and Benefits

I have read the proposals and have to say that I am not at all happy with them to say the least.

Why is it the ever time we go throught new T& C s the staff always get shafted?

I am particulary unhappy with the following:-

The proposed change to Public holidays and annual leave, in my case I will be losing 3 days per year (what happened to the 10 years guarantee to those on 28 days)? Is there any compensation for this?

What benefit is there to staff by changing 4 weekly pay to monthly?

How many staff members will be put into a lower pay band?

Why dont SW learn from the failuure of WOSWA, namely a fair package for all staff equals a happy work force? Surely this is basic to any business?


Regards
 

25 My comments on Unison Memo of 22nd Oct. for the meetings on 29th & 30th Oct.

1. I don't see any reference to 'no detrimement' in the info supplied.

2. What compensation is to be offered to people presently on 28 days annual leave ?

3. What about staff on 5 year protected salary who took the option of
remaining on their existing salary rather than taking a payment and going to new salary ? Will people on protection lose out?

4. Public Holidays are Public Holidays and should be recognised as such.

5. Staggered working hours, fixed working patterns etc does not suggest 'flexible working' to me .

6. I would have thought that the present 'flexi system' provided flexible
working.

Generally this is an erosion of the terms and conditions fought for by Unison members in the 'West' over the years. It should not be forgotten that members have lost money through negotitions and industrial action in achieving these and they should not be sacrificed readily without some form adequate compensation.

Regards,

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26  Subject: Compensation & Benefits

As an ex East of Scotland employee most of the current proposals already apply.
My only comment would be that our current holidays are 33 annual & 4
public. I would rather remain with this option, local holidays can then be taken as suits the individual.
In the current climate of savings, if the former East were to gain another two public days this would lead to extra costs, as enhanced payments will be required for any work on these two days.

Regards

27  Subject: Compensation & Benefits

I reject the proposed new Compensation & Benefits package.
The only people who gain out of this package is the employer, not
tte employees.


Regards

35 Comp and Bens detriment

There is an issue with Flexible Working which hasn't been flagged up. Members are concerned that they will lose the right to one flexiday per month and are concerned about the lack of clear guidelines. There is a fear of losing hours as a result of poor time recording and local manager inflexibility. There are inconsistencies in the East at present with Labs being refused full or half days off while other functions are more flexible.

I also think that this is a bigger issue for manual workers as the 7-7 working will inevitably result in two shifts being set up (e.g. 7am - 3pm and 11am - 7pm), allowing management to cover the 12hr period without a requirement for call-outs or overtime. This will mean a loss of earnings for manual workers that they perhaps should be compensated for.

I note that 2.6% is being applied to the bottom third of bands D, E and F. This means that staff in the middle of F (say £14500) will receive a lower percentage increase (1.24%) than someone in the bottom third of D (say £20000 - receiving 2.6%). So much for dealing with the problems of low pay.

(By email)

36 More Comp and Bens detriment

Those people placed at the top of their band, do they get the 5% over the next 18 months? Part of the 5% is the 2% of the 2003/4 salary agreement, will this also be lost to those on the top of their band?

What is to happen to those employees who are on WOSW protected salaries and more importantly in my case D&G protected salaries? If they ignore these protection agreements what is there to stop SW coming back to pilfer more of our terms and conditions?

What happens to employees who refuse to sign their new terms and conditions?

Having talked to several people in my area there seems to be a number of people affected by this package. I can't believe that onl;y 117 employees are adversely affected by these terms wrt salary.
What is the true picture? Perhaps UNISON should find out from its members who is to lose out rather than be spoon fed by SW

PS if put to the top of the band and not able to take 5% on the band limit I stand to lose £ 4550 pa which should reap a buy out of 18 200, but oh no!!

The buy out figure I’ve been supplied with does not include the 5% and is calculated at 10 476. So not only are we shafted on salary but also the buy out package. myself to the tune of 7724, which ain't buttons.

The other example i have applies to the admin girls in office, they are on 17,349 and are in band F, if you add the 5% this takes them to 18310.95, they will go to the top of the band and get a one off non-consolidated payment £716.45.

This means basically that the pay increase they will get is 0.87%, a ridiculous sum. They will also not receive any pay progression as at top of band, so are stuck like a lot of people without even a cost of living rise till April 2006,


KEEP ON FIGHTING , VOTE NO

(by email)